Heather, Subject H-5835
by CarolineTheRebel
Summary: Slave since day one. Lost everyone I've loved. Isolated and alone for 19 years. Until I met them. The Guardians of the Galaxy. And now, I finally have a family. I love interest too, if you can believe it. Now, I'm part of something bigger than me. I can finally see the world. I'm finally free...
1. A Strange Feeling

All I remember waking up that morning is that something didn't feel quite right. I got up and searched the house. Nothing wrong. Should I really call it a house? It was more like a treehouse. Well, it _was_ a treehouse. Though, I have to admit, I was close enough to it to call it home.

I searched the mines. Nothing wrong there, either. I looked around for hours until the sun came up and shone on the waters of the Whisper Falls. There was nothing wrong, and still the feeling of unease and excitement only grew.

I went back inside and changed into my winter clothes, which consisted of gray, insulated jumpsuit leggings, a similar top, and a fur coat with my bow on my back and my sword at my side. I put my utility belt on and tied my long black hair up in a braid. I climbed down multiple ladders and bridges to flat ground, and I began to walk towards the falls.

I lived in an isolated area, days from civilization. I live on the planet-moon Faorrest. My home is hidden behind the Whisper Falls, one of the most beautiful yet unknown places in Faorrest. Behind the falls is a tall and large cave, with grass and a spring. Strangest of all, a large tree of unknown type grows in the smack-dab center of the cave. And on that tree, my house is perched.

I've been stranded here since my shipped crashed here and I was the only one that survived. I was only 13 at the time, but that was 19 years ago.

Now I spend my days hunting, gathering, and exploring in the vast forests of the Whisper region (a 6,000 square mile area that is bordered by the Whisper River).

I stuck my hands in the water of the falls, groping for a waterproof ribbon. I finally found it and grasped one in each hand, pulling them apart. The water opened into a passageway like a curtain around me. I stepped through and the water closed behind me.

I walked through and the intense cold hit me. The snowflakes danced around me and fell to the ground in sparkly white mounds. I smiled and felt like falling in it and rolling around, besides, the cold never bothered me. I heard a faraway crash, and just assumed a tree had fallen down.

The feeling was exploding in me now, and I tried to ignore it. And then I heard whispers.

The falls were talking to me.

Whisper region isn't just beautiful. It is magical. Legend has it that those who are patient and quiet enough can hear the falls whisper them glimpses into the future.

I leaned closer to the falls, mist cooling my face.

I heard many voices. One was female, and sounded tough. One was that of a man, who was singing and sounding childish. Two more tough male voices, one sounding deeper, and one sounding slightly frantic. And then a voice that I couldn't figure out. It sounded male, but it was softer and calmer and younger than the others. The voice muttered, "I am…". The rest was inaudible.

I wondered what this could possibly mean. _Does it have something to do with the feeling? Who are they? I am… what? What could he or she be? And why in flark does it even matter?_

I unconsciously walked towards Whisper Lake, which was frozen over. It was so cold this year that the ice went down into the lake almost 10 feet. You could put a few thousand pounds on one spot with little breakage. I kicked my special snow boots, triggering the blades to pop out of the bottom. I stood on the frozen lake and began to skate. I was just freestyle skating at first, trying not to get knocked off balance by the feeling. I slid and glided, spinning and turning. I hummed a tune and the feeling grew. I heard a noise in the trees to my right and slowed down. I stared at where the noise had come from, getting closer and closer to the edge of the woods. The feeling stopped. Then I heard a roar and a crash come from behind me. A giant Snow Beast crashed onto the lake, barreling towards me, its red eyes rooting me to the spot.

"Look out!" I heard someone yell. I saw a man run towards me. He was wearing a metal mask, and held what looked like some sort of elemental gun in his hands. He pushed me out of the way, and I skid across the ice into a snowbank. I turned back to where he stood. He shot at the beast, but it lunged at him and swiped, sending him sprawling several yards into snow not too far away from me. Then I saw them.

Four humanoid figures of various sizes burst out of the forest onto the lake, shooting at the beast with guns and blasters and explosives. But one of them was not attacking the Snow Beast. A green female figure with black hair and was about my age looked at me, to the man, and then back at me. I knew what she needed me to do so I nodded and she nodded back as if saying _We'll handle this beast. You go help him._

I ran to him, trying hard to not trip in the deep snow. I knelt down and took his mask off. He had multiple scratches on his face and a deep gash that was bleeding from when the Snow Beast had swiped him. I quickly bandaged him, trying to slow the bleeding. He was unconscious, and all I could hear in the background were roars, yells, and the sound of guns firing and small explosions. When I had finished, I noticed his blue lips. _No duh, Heather!_ I thought. _He'll die from the cold than from his wounds!_

I took my fur coat off and wrapped him in it. I picked him up and groaned. He was heavy, but not heavy enough to the point where I couldn't carry him. I took him to the edge of the forest, where he was sheltered from the snow but I could still see him from Whisper Lake. As soon as I made sure he was secure I ran back to help who I assumed were his friends.

All hell had broken loose. The green-skinned girl that I had seen earlier was slicing at the Snow Beast with her sword, getting but a few good hits. A muscular man with red markings on his skin also had a knife, and was doing just as little damage as the girl.

And, of course, that wasn't the least of it…

What looked like an Earth raccoon was standing on its hind legs, shooting the beast and throwing explosives at it. On it's shoulder was a small creature that looked like a humanoid tree type species. The sight of such an innocent looking thing perched atop an obviously aggressive creature made me want to laugh.

But that didn't matter. These… people obviously hadn't ever fought a Snow Beast before because they were doing pretty flarking awful. And they kept losing their balance on the ice.

"Do I have to do everything _myself_?" I muttered, drawing my sword from its scabbard. I walked towards it and yelled out "Hey Ugly!"

They stopped shooting and slicing at it, diverting its attention to me.

The Snow Beast turned to look at me, then its eyes locked on my sword.

"Hey!" I yelled, turning the blade in the sunlight. "You like it? Good. 'Cause it'll be the last thing you ever see!"

It pawed at the ice and roared angrily.

"Oh, you wanna _go_? That's fine. 1 on 1. I'll just kill you like every other frikin' Snow Beast _in the entire flarking region._ "

It roared out once more and barreled at me at full speed, its horns pointed at me.

I stood my ground and grabbed my bow. I pulled back the string and let the arrow fly. It hit the Snow Beast square between the eyes. It roared in surprise but didn't stop running towards me.

 _This is my chance… The final blow._

I ran at it this time too, and time seemed to slow as I grabbed it by the horn, swinging onto its back. I leapt in the air, my sword pointed down towards the top of its head. I landed, my sword going deep into the beast's scalp, piercing its skull. It dropped on its knees as I jumped off it.

"Goodnight, you beast." I muttered. I couldn't help but feel sorry for it. That's why I had all of my arrows tipped with a special anti-pain poison. Makes it less painful for my game, and helps me feel like I'm not some merciless killer…

It slumped its head and moved no more. I sighed, taking deep breaths.

I glanced at, uh, _them_ (not trying to be rude, I didn't know who and what they were at the time). They were just staring at me, obviously impressed. I motioned for them to come towards me, and the green female as well as the male with the strange red markings approached me.

"Hello, I am Ga…"

"Listen," I said, sorry for cutting her off. "... I'd love to chat, but your unconscious friend over there…" I pointed to the man at the edge of the forest, "... is most likely in a lot of pain and freezing cold. So please just do all of us a favor and get him over here so I can help him."

They both nodded and ran towards the edge of the forest.

I turned to see that the, ummm... The racoon guy (I decided it was most likely a male) was examining the Snow Beast's body, his cute little tree friend at his side. I observed them, watching and paying close attention to what he was doing. The tree-creature saw me looking at them, and waved his arm. I blushed and did a small wave back, but the raccoon hadn't noticed.

I turned and saw the green girl and the man helping the other man towards me, and I was glad to see that he was awake and was at least able to limp.

They set him down in front of me, and I examined him. I kneeled down, beginning to take his bandages.

"What's your name?" I asked calmly.

"St-Starlord." He said, shivering and wincing in pain.

"Ok, so you're telling me that your parents named you Starlord? Interesting."

"N-no. Its Peter. Peter Quill… Starlord's my nickname…"

"Well then, _Starlord_ , looks like your wounds…"

I was cut off by a sickening _crack!_ Sound.

All of us jerked our heads to the racoon, who muttered "Aw, _flark_." as the ice around him and the Snow Beast cracked.

 _Gods, no. Please, no. Of all the times. Of all the places. Oh gods please not now, not now…_

I ran at him, my arm outstretched. "Hold on!"

We met eyes and we both knew that I wasn't going to be able to grab him in time.

The ice broke. He went under.


	2. The Guardians of the Galaxy

I heard yells and screams as I dove into the icy water, my mind only on one thing…

 _I have to save him, I can't let him drown. Can't… let… drown…_

My vision went hazy, but I swam further down until I saw him...

We both reached our hands out, trying to reach each other as we both sank down into the icy blue. I silently begged in my mind, _don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes._

He closed his eyes, and his body went limp.

I wanted to scream, but only bubbles of air escaped my mouth…

I pushed forward, straining in the cold. I felt his paw and grabbed it, pulling him towards me. I used the remaining strength and energy I had to push myself upwards, towards the light of the surface…

I burst through the surface of the water, gasping for breath. The air felt warm compared to the water against my face.

They surrounded me, and I felt glad. I heard their voices, asking me if I was ok, but I was so exhausted I couldn't say anything. As they stepped closer, I heard the ice crackle.

"Please…" I begged, barely able to speak. "... stay… stay away. I-I can get myself out…"

I hugged his furry body close to me, trying to keep him warm and out of the water. I weakly reached for my sword, which seemed heavy in my hand. I raised it, then brought it down on the hard ice, making small chunks break off.

I did this for about 10 minutes, hacking away at the ice. The entire time I was focused on getting to thicker ice more quickly. I didn't care about myself. I just wanted to get him to his friends. I wanted him to live.

When I finally got to thick enough ice, I pulled myself up and out as they rushed towards me. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder, and somebody else took him out of my arms. They put my coat back on me, but that did little to keep me warm. My whole body was numb, and I was unable to move anything but my head and arms.

I took my sword and brought it down the ice, leaning on the hilt. I was so cold, so tired, I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep forever.

 _No. You can't do that. You have to get up and help them. You're not going to die. Find your strength. Get up. And get going._

I calmed down, but I kept shivering. I felt someone grab my hand. I looked to the side, and there stood an afraid looking tree being.

It wasn't until now that I realized what species he really was. He was a _Floral Colossus_ , a species thought to be extinct. He was just a child, at that. Only half a foot tall. He looked into my eyes, as if asking me if I was ok.

"What's your name, little guy?"

"I am Groot." he replied back

"Well then, Groot," I whispered smiling. "You think you could help me?"

"I am Groot"

"Thanks, little guy."

He held onto my hand a little tighter, and I stopped shivering. I could feel my body now, but I was still a little cold. I stood up shakily.

"I need to get all of you to a safer area."

They hesitated, but the green girl stepped towards me and handed the raccoon back to me. I wrapped him in the coat.

"Follow me. Hurry."

I led them back to the falls. I carried Racoon (I had decided that that was his temporary name) in my arms, and every one and a while he would open his eyes a little. The green girl walked almost beside me, while Quill and the other guy were behind. Groot had somehow sneaked onto my shoulder and sat there, eyeing his unconscious friend.

When we reached Whisper Falls, I was able to part the waters with only one hand. We walked through the water and they all gasped when they saw the cave. Groot looked up at the ginormous tree with its little platforms and rooms in its branches in awe.

"It's… It's beautiful!" whispered the green lady.

"Yeah." I responded, smiling."It's home."

I led them up the various ladders and stairs to the Sick Room, where had all of my medical equipment and medicines.

I laid Racoon down on the recovery table, hooked him up to a VitaReader, and pressed a button that began to heat up the table.

I heard Quill say from behind me, "Is… Is he going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine. He just needs to get his body temperature up. I'm more worried about you." I said, turning to them. "I'll be right back."

I grabbed 5 chairs and fur blankets and set them around the table. I gave each of them a blanket, which they all immediately wrapped around themselves.

I took the rest of Quill's bandages off, pleased to see that his wounds were already halfway healed, already becoming scars.

"Wha… But-but how? How the hell did you do that?!" he said, confused.

I laughed. "Magic."

I stepped over to the other side of the room. I grabbed a pot and put some water in it. I set it over an electric powered fire on the stone counter, and opened the cupboard above it to reveal shelves and shelves of glass jars full of herbs, oils, and various preserved parts. I grabbed some dried Lavender and Asuka herbs, as well as Sutaka oil and a small vial.

I took a measuring spoon and added some of each herb and oil into the now boiling water. I took my sword out of my scabbard, and held the blade up. The Snow Beast's red blood covered the entire tip of the blade, so I tipped it down on top of the vial, allowing exactly 10 drops of blood to escape the blade into the vial.

I set the vial onto a stand and grabbed a jar of bright blue crystals from the cupboard. Using a pair of tweezers, I took one of the crystals and carefully dropped it into the vial of blood. The mixture swirled and turned a violent shade of purple, and a magenta cloud of gas poured out of the top of the vial.

"Uhh… Holdup nobody breathe for just a minute…" I said frantically trying to find my air gun. I heard them all inhale and stop breathing all together. It only occurred to me now that they were watching me and probably wondering what the hell I was doing. I found the gun and used it to suck up all of the gas. I emptied it into a jar with the same gas and put it back on the shelf.

"Everything has a use… _even mistakes like me_ …" I said out loud, muttering the last part. I immediately regretted what I had said because I knew that they probably heard. _Oh my gods Heather. They probably think you're frickin' insane, now. Yay._

I cleared my throat and continued working. I added the changed blood to the pot and stirred it. It started to glow green and strange-smelling steam curled off the surface. I poured the contents of the pot over a strainer over a glass, and a gelatin-like green-ish blob collected on the strainer. The liquid was purple and smelled like burning rubber, but it was the best I could do on a short notice.

I was about to turn around when I heard a hoarse voice from behind me say, "So are you like a witch or something?"

I turned around to see all of them looking at me in curiosity, confusion, and suspicion in their eyes. But I was most relieved to see that Raccoon was awake and sitting up on the table. I realized he was the one who spoke. I rolled my eyes.

"No."

"Then what were you doing with that blood and water and weird shriveled up stuff?"

"Like I said... Magic."

"Drink this." I said, handing him the glass with the purple liquid.

He winced at the smell. "No way, lady. The his thing smells like dead people dipped in oil. No offense."

"None taken. But you need to drink it, even if it's just a little." I replied, setting a glass of warm water down beside him.

"And what's this? Ectoplasm or somethin'?" I saw a smirk creep up on his face out of the corner of my eye.

"No, it's water. So drink the damn thing and get it over with."

He let out a sort of groan, but he tipped the glass to his mouth and drank half of it before putting the glass down and gagging.

" _What the hell was in that?_ " he half-shouted, looking like he was going to be sick.

"Just herbs and oils. And blood. Just a tad bit of blood." I laughed. "...but it'll make you feel better. And speaking of feeling better…"

I put the green blob in a jar and gave it to Quill. I took a roll of bandages and gave it to the green girl.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"I need you to help him put that, umm… _antibiotic_ on his wounds and bandage them up after."

"Well aren't you the one with the medical specialty?"

"Yeah, but you have this thing going on between you two and based on what I've seen of you, I most definitely do _not_ want to get between it…"

It must have been comical because Racoon started laughing his head off and so was the guy with the strange red scars. The girl looked at me like she wanted to kill me, but Quill couldn't help but smiling. Either way, she walked over to him and did as I told her.

"Hey, so now that you've helped us, maybe you should do the same for yourself…" said Racoon.

"What do you mean?"

"Lady, you look like _hell_."

I turned to the mirror, and I could finally see what he meant. My whole body was covered in cuts and bruises, and my some parts of my body were red from the cold.

"Wow. I _do_ look like hell."

I grabbed a small vial from the cupboard. The vial contained green swirling liquid, and I hated having to use it because it hurt so much. I opened it, and my nose and eyes instantly burned from the fumes. They looked at it curiously.

"Gives instant healing results. But everything comes with a price. That's why they call it the Draught of Pain."

YoI hated myself and knew I would regret my decision. I popped the cork off, and I swallowed all of the liquid in one gulp.

I doubled over and my vision swam. I dropped the vial and it broke into a million pieces on the floor. I saw someone rush to me out of the corner of my eye, but I held my hand out, signifying I was fine. Even though I wasn't.

The Draught of Pain might be one of my most painful experiences. I felt like every bone in my body was breaking, like my stomach was exploding and my head was on fire. I couldn't breathe.

But just as fast as it started, it stopped. Somebody lent me their hand, and I took it. I stood up, and realized it was the green girl.

I looked at my hand, and the cuts and bruises healed like they were being washed away by some kind of magical water.

They stared at me for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"What?"

The green girl rolled her eyes. "The things you seem to _put_ yourself through."

"All in a day's work." I responded weakly. I stood up.

"Who are you guys anyway? Some band of misfits?" I teased.

"No. I'm Starlord, as you already know, and that's Gamora… He's Drax… That's Groot… And that's Rocket…"

I made a quick mental note.

"... And together we're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Well then, _Guardians of the Galaxy_ , I'm Heather. And I hope I made a good first impression."


	3. Flashbacks

The rest was a blur. I invited them to stay for the night since outside of the cave was so cold. Coincidentally, I had a room with nothing in it that I had barely ever used. After I had checked on both Quill's and Rocket's vitals and determined they were fine, I set up some fur blankets in the room. We barely spoke, probably because it was a really awkward situation and because we were all so tired, especially me. Gamora thanked me many times, but soon they were all settling down.

I didn't notice until then that my hair was still dripping freezing cold water down my back and that my jumpsuit was still really wet. I got changed and undid my braid, brushed my hair, then put it back in a braid. I put on my nightclothes (which consisted of long, silk-like pants and top), and went outside of the treehouse to the spring that gurgled peacefully in the corner of the cave.

I grabbed a pitcher that was sitting on a tree stump, and dipped it into the spring, filling it with fresh water. I poured the water into six cups and set them on a wooden tray that already had some sweet-smelling candles on it. I took the tray back up to the room where the Guardians were staying and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

"Hey." I said, walking into the dimly lit room.

I set the tray down on the floor. I took the candles and put them on the floor in the corner to my left. I pinched the wicks, and the candles set aflame. I turned back around to see the Guardians' faces staring at me eerily in the candlelight. I pushed the tray towards them and sat down in front of them on an extra blanket.

They seemed wary to drink.

I picked up a cup and drank some water.

"See?" I said, grinning. "It's not poisoned…"

Gamora, being the polite person she was, took a glass and drank too. Then the man called Drax. Then Rocket and Quill. Groot even stuck his little hand inside the cup and sucked up the water from there. _Weird. But who am I to judge?_

None of us were in the "talking mood". I tried not to close my eyes, because if I did, I would have fallen asleep. The only light in the room was that of the candles and the glowing crystals on the cave walls that shone through the un-glassed windows.

After a long while of awkward silence, I got up.

"Get some sleep. If y'all need anything, just come get me. My room's just across the platform. And the bathroom's down the second ladder to the right…" I said, opening the door to leave.

I turned around and snapped my fingers. The candles went out.

"You are strange, woman." muttered Drax loudly.

"Why, thank you…" I teased. "Well, goodnight. And don't let the creatures catch you in your sleep. I don't need another bloody mess on my hands…"

They all looked genuinely alarmed as I shut the door behind me.

I cracked it open just a bit so that they could see it was me. "You know I'm kidding, right?" I giggled, closing the door once more.

Minutes later, I was laying in my warm bed, wrapped in pretty furs.

I closed my eyes and sighed. My whole body ached from the physical strain of that day's events.

"What in the _hell_ of it have I gotten myself into..?" I muttered as I drifted off into sleep.

That night I had what I like to call a "flashback dream". A dream that took me back to my past. I don't think I can emphasize just how much I hated my dreams. They weren't even dreams… They were nightmares. Back to my "flashback dream"...

I found myself standing in a dark street corner. I could hear myself crying uncontrollably, my skin itchy from the raggedy clothes I wore. My long, black hair sat tangled on my shoulders, and my feet were frozen from the cold ground beneath me. I felt the cold metal handgun in my grasp, my finger twitching and shaking on the trigger. I felt the muzzle of the frosty gun pressed against the left side of my head. I cried more and more in despair, a small part of me hoping that someone would find me before I pulled the trigger and ended myself.

My mind screamed, forcing my finger closer and closer to the trigger. It yelled at me, _Do it! Be free, like the others who did this before you! You won't have to be in pain anymore!_

But my heart had a different plan. It stalled me. _Don't do it…_ it whispered to me calmly. _It's okay… You can get through this… Suicide isn't the answer… It's okay…_

"NO!" I yelled, shutting my heart and mind out of my thoughts. "I'm going to do this… I-I'm going to do this… I won't be in pain anymore…"

I shuddered, my finger close to the trigger, the muzzle of the handgun pressing harder on my head.

"Three.." I whispered. "Two… One-"

But just as I was about to pull the trigger, I heard someone yell.

"Wait! Don't! Don't do it!"

I looked up shakily. "I-I have t-to! I c-can't live l-like t-this anymore! I yelled back, shivering from the cold.

Then I saw them. They were appeared to be nine years old like me. They were slaves, too. They were dressed in the same, old, disgusting clothes like me. Both appeared Terran (also like me), one was a skinny boy with blonde hair and the other was a burly African-looking girl.

They ran up to me and snatched the gun out of my hand as it slipped slowly out of my grasp.

They held me as I sobbed even more, saying nothing.

Slowly, I felt my spectator-like state slip from my young selfs body. I drifted away into the stormy sky, my eyes trained on the small, broken me as my new companions took me back to the ship dock.

Then everything went black.

I heard the calm, collected voice of the girl, Bismuth.

"What's your name?" She said.

"H-5835…" My voice replied, echoing through the endless darkness

"Huh." She said. I could see her in my mind, looking me up and down.

"Ya know what? I think I'll call you Heather…" I saw her and the boy now, the boy who was Carter, looking down at me.

But her final words rang and echoed louder and louder like screams in a tunnel…

 _Heather… Heather…_ _ **Heather… Heather… HEATHER!**_

I woke up with a start.

I sat up in my bed, the covers seeming not-so-warm anymore. I looked at the clock (which I had proudly built myself). It read; 4:18 A.M.

I laid back down in my bed, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep again.

A few minutes later, I got up. I hastily dressed into the jumpsuit and coat. I hadn't noticed until now that I had slept with my weapons. Quietly opening the door, I stepped out of my room onto the platform and tiptoed down the ladder to the bathroom. There, I brushed my hair, washed my face, and brushed my teeth (just because I live in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean I can't have personal hygiene…).

Going back up the ladder, I wondered how the Guardians were doing. Out of curiosity, I walked quietly to their room and pressed my ear to the door. I could hear some sort of movement behind the door, so I slowly and silently opened it. I peeked through the crack between the door and the wall and breathed out in relief.

The Guardians were all safe and sleeping like children. Each of them were sprawled in strange positions. All but one…

 _Where the heck is Groot?_

"I am Groot."

I jumped and almost hit my head on the doorframe. Groot was sitting in the corner of the room. He had been watching me the entire time.

"I am Groot?"

"Yeah, I'm fine buddy… You just scared me." I half laughed, half whispered.

Oh, how I love that little tree.

I turned my head back to the sleeping Guardians, and realized where the sound of movement was coming from.

Tossing and turning on the fur blankets was a restless Rocket. He grumbled and moved around obviously trying to fall back into comfortable sleep. I stood there in the doorway for what must have been nearly five minutes until he muttered, "Aw, frick this I'm getting up."

He sat up and opened his eyes to see me in the doorway, arms crossed, watching him.

"WHAT THE F-" he shouted jumping so high he practically hit the ceiling.

"Shhhh…" I whispered, putting a finger to my lip. "Don't wake up the children…"

"You're crazy." he replied, getting up.

I smirked.

There was an awkward silence as we both examined each other. I noticed (for the first time) his orange jumpsuit, as well as the fact that he had some metal object-like thing mounted on his back. _Can he possibly have cybernetic enhancements or something?_ I wondered. The fact that he did made sense to me. He technically was a walking, talking Terran raccoon…

I cleared my throat, breaking the silence.

"Well… Since the both of us are up… You can come with me if you want." I said, trying not to sound hopeful.

He hesitated, as if he were afraid, almost, to agree to come with me.

"Yeah, sure, I guess. Got nothin' better to do…" He said eventually, scratching the back of his neck.

I nodded towards the door. "Follow me."

I led him down the ladders and platforms to the grassy ground underneath the tree. Groot followed. I sat down under the small group of minute trees in one of the corners of the cave. Even though it was winter, the trees were bursting full of colorful blooms and fruits.

Rocket sat down next to me and took in his surroundings. Groot plopped cutely down on my leg.

"What is this place?" he questioned, turning to look at me.

"Whisper Cave. More importantly, home."

Silence (seriously there was some sort of awkward silence every few minutes it was driving me _crazy_ ).

I brushed some hair out of my face, turning to look at him. "How did you guys end up here anyways?"

"A group of assholes that wanted the bounty someone placed on our heads were chasing us. They damaged our engine and we crash-landed here. The land wasn't that bad and the damage to the ship is fixable, but those bastards are going to _pay_." he growled, crossing his tiny, furry arms. "You?"

I hesitated. I didn't want them to know the truth… Besides, I'd only know them for less than a day… I wasn't comfortable with them knowing about my dark past.

The slave ship I was on crashed this planet after my friend, Bismuth, rebelled against the slavers. She was able to free about two-thirds of the slaves before she had to get away in escape pods. She tried to free me, but there wasn't enough time. The ship was going down and the lives of many slaves were at risk. I told her to forget about me and get to the escape pods. I remember the pain and regret in her eyes as she looked at me for the last time, saying the final words, "I'll never _ever_ forget you, Heather." She got into the escape pods with the other freed slaves right before the ship crashed on the planet's surface. I was the only one who didn't die from the impact.

I remember the screams and cries of the other slaves as I held onto the bars of the cell I was in. I stared blankly at the spot where Bismuth stood before she left. I remember the empty, hollow, hopeless feeling inside me. I remember the way the tears welled up in my eyes as the ship hit the ground, tumbling over and over, throwing me like a rag doll against the metal walls. I remember the heat of the fire that had engulfed the ship soon after the crash. I remember hanging upside down from my chains, slowly suffocating from the grasp of the burning hot metal on my throat. I remember how I was somehow able to get free, falling into the raging fire below me. I remember how an upturned piece of metal had pierced my back, digging into my left shoulder while the flames ate at my skin. I remember how, as I slowly laid there dying, the voices in my head began to speak. _Just let yourself die. It will be quick and easy. No more loneliness. No more pain._ I had considered that. I had considered letting myself die. Until another voice spoke; _No. Don't just let yourself die. Get up. There's always a way out. You just have to find it._

And I did.

I found a way out.

I remember how I ran through the flames, through the ship as it collapsed. I remember seeing beautiful light for the first time in months. I remembered it all too well.

There was no way I was going to tell anybody about that. Nobody on the entire planet knew I was a former slave. And I intended to keep it that way.

"My family's ship crashed here when I was 13. I was the only one that didn't die from the impact, though I almost died trying to escape the ship. Some people from a village about a three-day's walk from here found me (that part was true). They fixed me up and sent me off. I found this place and I've lived here ever since. And believe me… 19 years is a _lot_ longer than it sounds. Especially when you're alone and have no one to talk to." I lied, trying to sound upset about it.

Quickly trying to change the topic, I asked Rocket: "So… What do like to do for fun?"

"Hmm? Oh. Well, I'm good at making stuff. Weapons. Bombs." he said, saying the word _bombs_ in such a calm manner that it made me laugh.

"Good with your hands, huh? Well then, I've got something to show you…" I stood up, nodding my head. "C'mon."

I led Rocket and Groot (who was on my shoulder) to the tunnel that led to the mines. The rock walls were framed with wooden posts and frames. Multi-colored crystals grew on the walls, shining and glowing brightly in the dark. I took them down the stone corridor and turned left at an intersection. A set of large metal doors towered in front of me before opening with a mechanical _whoosh_.

"Damn." he grinned. "Nice lab."

A nice lab it was, indeed.

All sorts of mechanical parts lined the stone walls on shelves. One wall was completely covered by blueprints of mechanisms and other crazy things. There were multiple huge tables and cabinets, with bins and bins of screws, bolts, and wires. In one corner were all my builds and robot-like creations. On the wall to our right was a clothes making machine I had built a few years back after I had gotten tired of making my clothes by hand. It was a mechanist's dream, basically.

I looked down at Rocket.

He looked a kid in a candy shop.

"Well," I said, motioning towards the lab. "Go knock yourself out!"

"Ya know what? I'm startin' to like you more and more." He smirked, walking into the lab. I showed him and Groot around, explaining what each machine was for.

He soon got to work at a table, and we would talk a bit between our work. I had no idea what the hell he was building, but it looked dangerous. Which, in my book, meant it was cool.

I was working on getting the clothes machine started up. I turned it on and fed furs and fibers into a slot on the side. I entered a few numbers, pressed a few buttons

and it whirred to life. Groot would make little gasping noises whenever something interesting happened with the machine. I set 4 orders of thick fur coats, put in the required measurements, and the machine ticked and clicked, sewing furs and fibers into coats of various sizes.

I took the next few minutes oiling some of the machines and tools and cleaning them. Groot remained on my shoulder and was mostly silent. There was little exchange of words. Shifting gears and crackling wires did all the talking in their soothing, quiet ways. But, of course, the peace wouldn't stay for long.

How I arrived at such a strange position, I don't even remember. All I remember was this:

I was in a corner of the lab (probably inspecting some machine), when I turned to look at Rocket. I would have expected him to notice my sudden movement, but he didn't. Why it was only up until now that I really got a good look at him, I don't know. I stared for a moment, really taking in his mosaic of brown fur, his black and white mask. His neon jumpsuit clashed in a perfect kind of way with his natural-colored fur, and I admired the gun on his back. I wondered how much electric shock it could deliver, how exactly the gears and functions moved for it to fold out.

It was his eyes that caught me. They were such a rich, chocolate color, like Carter's…

Like _Carter's_.

 **Carter**.

I almost fell on the spot. My mind swam with clips flashing of only one person: A fair-skinned blonde male with eyes like pine bark. The lab disappeared around me and I was plunged into blackness. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel tears forming in my eyes. I could feel a small, rough hand tugging at my wrist, and a drowned-out voice yelling "I am Groot! _I am Groot!_ "

Why now, of all times? And why did Rocket remind me of Carter? And why did it matter? Carter was gone, and was not going to come back. Ever.

The pictures of him became clearer. He wore what were practically rags, ripped and torn from beating and stained with blood and burn marks. His hands and feet were back with ash and dirt. His face was scarred and his nose was somewhat crooked from being broken multiple times. His light blonde hair was now dirty-blonde from being singed, and his feet were red with more blood. His eyes were hollow, and seemed to stare into my soul the way they had seconds before he died 19 years ago. He displayed a sad smile, one that seemed to say _Shit happens, I'm fine_. But I knew he was most definitely _not_ fine. This was what all slaves look like. Stars, snuffed out before they could shine.

Suddenly, I was pulled from my panicky, dream-like state back to reality. Everything came into focus.

Groot looked like he had just seen a ghost (poor thing), and was still clinging to my hand like his life depended on it. I (thank the celestials) had not fallen, but was standing shakily on my feet. My eyes were still trained on Rocket, who was now looking right back at _me_. I felt my face heat up.

Rocket then asked me, in almost an annoyed voice, "Ya' alright?"

 _Oh, yes, Captain Obvious,_ I thought sarcastically. _I'm perfectly fine_

"I-I uhm… Yeah. I guess. Whatever." I replied, shaking the embarrassment off. "I'm fine." I felt bad for having to lie.

There was an awkward silence and my eyes flitted to the clock. It now flashed 6:48.

I cleared my throat. "We should… get back to the main room. Your friends are probably awake. I could make breakfast for you guys until we figure out the whole… uh... "Ship" thing."

"Al'righ. Food sounds good right about now." he shrugged, walking with me and Groot to the entrance and making our way down the rocky hallway. When I was sure he wasn't looking, I wiped away a stray tear that almost escaped my eye. Groot nuzzled my cheekbone from his perch on my shoulder. We reached the end of the tunnel that spilled into the Whisper Cave to find three figures standing in the meadow. Quill, Drax, and Gamora. Gamora was pacing, Drax was sharpening one of his knives, and Quill was shamelessly jamming out to music from a pair of headphones.

"We were looking for you." said Gamora, as we approached them.

"Sorry." I apologized.

"You don't have to apologize." she replied.

"Oh no," I said, shaking my head. "I mean sorry that you had to wait here and watch Quill dance. I have bleach, in case you need to borrow some to clean your eyes out."

"Hey!" yelled Quill "I'm a _good dancer_!"

I snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night!"  
I yelled back.

"Anyway," I continued. "How does breakfast sound to you guys? I'm sure you're all hungry."

"That sounds great. We appreciate your hospitality." She smiled at me, and I smiled back.


	4. Author's Note (READ)

Bonjour loyal fans! Before I start…

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING! I'M SO GLAD YOU LOVE HEATHER AS MUCH AS I DO AND LOVE READING MY STORY AS MUCH AS I LOVE TYPING IT!

Thank you so much for the support! :D

Ok back on topic.

So basically this is to explain why I haven't been posting as much, but DO NOT WORRY.

I HAVE NOT DISCONTINUED THIS.

I AM SIMPLY VERY BUSY SINCE IT IS THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR FOR ME.

I will try to get most of the next chapter done this weekend so that I can upload it! I love you all and thank you for being so patient! Also, please don't be silent readers! I love to see that little notification when one of you writes a review or favorites this!

Don't forget to check out my other stories on Wattpad and ArchiveOfOurOwn. My username is the same for all my fanfic accounts.

AGAIN BIG THANKS! I NEVER KNEW THIS WOULD GET SO MANY VIEWS! I will update really soon!

Also, shout out to Kaytak1999 for being so loyal and consistent! 3


	5. Author's Note 2

Hey, guys.

It's me again.

I want to apologize to all of you, first off. I said I would post another chapter, and yet here we are, like 4 months later, and no chapter in sight.

I'm going to discontinue this temporarily, and I hope I get to work on it again.

I've got a few reasons why I've decided to discontinue:

1) School hit me like a truck and I'm super stressed (I also have a sneaking fear that the stress is even making me mildly depressed)

2) I stopped enjoying writing this because I feel like I could've done better and I'm very, very busy

3) The plot needs tweaking

4) Heather is a total Mary Sue. When I rewrite this, she's going to be much more cut-off and distant, a lot less "giggly", a lot cold and a lot more aggressive and less sensitive to things like killing. But don't worry, she's still a caring and compassionate person deep down.

5) I made the mistake of starting out here on . It's very prestigious and professional and I was such a newbie to fandoms and writing fanfictions. It is also very advanced in the way that it works, and I just don't have the time to take 15 minutes to upload a chapter or an image.

 **GOOD NEWS:**

 _I have an active account on Wattpad!_

It's the same username (CarolineTheRebel) and I have a public journal that updates about every week. I am very very active on Wattpad, so you'll definitely see me messing around on there.

I am also working on a Undertale collab with a friend (her name is LittleRen26 on Wattpad) and the chapters will begin coming out in a few weeks.

Again, I apologize for this.

Big thanks and best of wishes to those who supported me and read this/favorited or followed it. Shoutout to Kaytak1999 who stuck with me from the beginning to the end (like I said, I'm active on Wattpad so feel free to say hello to me there!). It would truly make my day to see you guys on Wattpad.

Remember, this isn't really over.

 **Au revoir,**

 _Caroline_


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